Galapagos Islands luxury cruise

Planet

We work hard to create trips which improve life for the people and places we visit and look after the planet we explore. Some sustainable travel highlights of this trip include:

On arrival to the Galapagos Islands all visitors pay a Galapagos National Park fee of USD100 to ensure the protection of this World Heritage Site.

By travelling in a small group, led by a level 3 naturalist guide who is authorised by the Galapagos National Park, we ‘tread lightly’ to minimise our impact on local resources and the environment.

Trails are clearly marked throughout the Galapagos Islands and we are always careful to remain on the marked paths and respect all signs.

We work with our partners on the ground to proactively eliminate and reduce waste, for example eliminating all single-use plastic water bottles and instead providing refills for re-usable bottles. On board the Evolution there is a zero single use plastic policy and the crew are committed to reducing waste as part of the WWF’s zero waste initiative.

In the Galapagos National Park there are tight regulations in place to prevent ecological damage such as: restricting use of biodegradable products (like shampoo, detergent, soap) and recycling of contaminants (oil and fuel) which are sent back to the mainland for disposal and water treatment.

We visit the Charles Darwin Research Centre on Santa Cruz Island. This centre is dedicated to protecting and conserving the ecology of the islands and carries out educational projects in support of conservation of the Galapagos Islands. Our entry fees help contribute to all the work going on here by improving demand, facilities and creating employment opportunities for scientists.

We are also careful to adhere to National Park guidelines, which, amongst other things, ask that we keep a safe distance from wildlife at all times.

Our Animal Welfare Policy ensures all our trips adhere to ABTA’s industry-leading animal welfare guidelines to ensure the best possible practices with regards to working animals and wildlife viewing.

Through our Planet Promise, we have pledged to halve the carbon footprint of our trips by 2030 and made rewilding and carbon compensation commitments for every customer who travels.

All meals taken on board our boat are produced using local, sustainably sourced ingredients.

Vegetarian options are available on the Evolution for all guests.

Our local partner is working towards making this holiday entirely green in conjunction with the Carbon Fund.

People

The use of a local guide means our customers will be well informed about local traditions, the environment as well as cultural and social sensitivities within the Galapagos National Park.

Guides and other staff are local to the Galapagos, providing local employment and economy benefits.

Although much of this tour is spent on board a boat or in nature, wherever the opportunity arises clients are encouraged to use local businesses and to engage with people they meet to promote positive cultural exchange.

Food supplies on the boat are always locally sourced to help bring economical benefits to the area.